Just bought 2 quail and a cornish hen...now what?

2crazykittens

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Okay so I was at the grocery store today looking over the meat counter and saw that quail and Cornish hen was fresh for sale.
I was so excited and asked the meat person how fresh the birds were and he said they were put out today, never been frozen. I am so excited about giving the pets a taste, and I have to admit I gave all the pets a small sample of the quail meat but I am really unsure what to do now. My questions are as follows:

1. Should I freeze the meat for a few days first before serving?

2. Do I serve the whole bird or half of a quail to the cats bones and all?

3. How long can the birds be in the fridge till they are no longer good or safe to consume?

4. What about feeding whole to animals that never have eaten a whole animal before?

Any advice would be great.
They all really enjoyed the sample, so I know it will be a hit around here! Just want to make sure I am feeding safe foods to all the pets.
 

vball91

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1. I doubt they are wild game. If you are concerned about parasites though, freezing for 3 days is the way to go.

2/4. Yes, quail and hen bones are small and soft enough to serve, so I would chop the whole bird into pieces and serve. How large the pieces are sort of depends on them. If they are new smaller pieces are better.

3. They should be treated like all meat. If the cats are not going to eat them all within the next couple of days, I would freeze the rest.

Let us know how they like it!
 
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2crazykittens

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Thank you @vball91


One more question... they will not get sick will they after eating a bite while I was cutting it up will they?
I did put it all in the freezer now and it will stay there for a little while. I doubt that it is wild game too, so better to be safe than sorry.
 

vball91

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Parasites are more common with wild game. I doubt it's going to be an issue.
 
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2crazykittens

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Whew!
Thank goodness,  really feeling like a noobie at this raw feeding thing. There is joy in watching the cats enjoy a real piece of chunky meat though. I was smiling the whole time.
 

ritz

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Yes, I agree with VBALL91: I doubt it is wild game; they won't get sick, you should freeze the meat if it won't be all eaten within two or three days, the bones are small enough for cats (though depending on how sensitive they are, it might be too much bone).
 
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